He Calls Me Mom

There has been a shift.

M calls me Mom.

I don’t know what caused this shift, but what I do know is that a shift has occurred.

Sometimes he still says Heather or James, but when he does, he quickly corrects himself and says Mom or Dad. Recently, we have made a final timeline of when this adoption will occur. Maybe the realization of what is to occur has hit him?

I wasn’t expecting this to happen so quickly but I would be lying if I said I didn’t care. I know what he calls us doesn’t determine our role in his life. We determine that role ourselves. But, it is nice to hear.

Part of me was expecting to hear him call us Heather and James for the rest of his life. Because of this, I prepared myself for that.  Now that he calls us Mom and Dad, it shocked me a little.

When I gave birth to Chase- I had the 9 months of feeling him grow inside of me in addition to holding him, feeding him, bathing him, kissing him, etc. All these activities creates a bond for the child to their mother, but it also creates a bond from the mother to the child.

I never got to experience those things with M. I don’t have a single photo of him as a baby. The earliest moment I had with M was when he was 9 and I had to teach him how to tie his shoes. Everything that I have done up until today (and will continue to do) has been creating an atmosphere for M to bond with me.

I have had to do things or experience things throughout the past few years that has created a bond from myself to M. This bond confirmed in our heart to do what God was asking, and that was to adopt him. But- to have a moment where M is doing something that is showing his bond to us has really strengthened my bond with him. It surprised me how much it affected my heart.

Hearing him call me Mom has been… amazing. I don’t really have the words to describe what it is like to have someone give that title to me. Chase won’t know anything else and to him, I have been and always will be- Mom. I haven’t always been mom to M, so to hear him gift me that title recently has impacted me.

I am so thankful and feel loved.